miséricorde 2

This was to be Marie Thérèse's major focus... 

and work for the rest of her life. 

But getting started wasn't easy. The women were of varied ages and came from all walks of life, bickering [gekibbel], fighting, and accusations were a part of everyday life. 

To combat this, and to help form the women into virtuous, dedicated, sincere Christians, Lamourous wrote a strict daily schedule for the house, divided strictly into prayer times, meal times, work periods, and recreation periods. 

The Miséricorde was unique... 

because the staff (called ´directrices´) and the filles [former prostitues...] shared their lives entirely, they slept in common dormitories, dined in common, worked alongside each other, and prayed in common. 

Over the years, the Miséricorde grew... 

from the original 15 women, to almost 300 women in 1835, the year before Lamourous’s death. 

The growth required more space...

and Lamourous was able to obtain Bordeaux´ former Convent of the Annunciation. 

The Miséricorde would stay at this location until the Bordeaux house was closed in the 1980s!

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